Black America has a challenge. Despite steady improvement in
our quality of life, much remains to be done. To speed improvement,
liberal domination of our politics must come to a screeching halt.
We must pull the brakes and return black America to our conservative
roots.

We have long-suffered from the consequences of socialist policies
promoted by leftist groups and embraced by our so-called leaders.
The alliance they've forged has dragged our community down for
too long.

It wasn't always this way. Community leaders could once be
counted on to provide direction. They represented our frustration
and the hunger for equality we so earnestly desired, and they
delivered exactly what we needed: opportunity. People fought and
died simply for the opportunity to succeed or fail on their own
merits and be restricted only by their own desires. Previous generations
dreamed of having the opportunities that we now enjoy because
of the work of these leaders.

But a new guard has arisen. They preach that liberal policies,
many enacted after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
are our salvation and must be protected at all costs. They even
go as far as to advocate intimidation tactics towards those of
us who disagree! They tell us that if we vote for conservatives,
black churches will burn and black men will be dragged to their
death.

This new guard differs greatly from our past leaders. No longer,
it says, should we rely on merit or credentials for advancement.
The content of our character is secondary. Instead, we should
rely on skin color to carry us gently up the ladder. Media exposure
and credibility come with the preaching of reliance on the government
instead of on personal accomplishment.

Big government is now allowed to pursue the liberal policies
that rob potential from our community virtually without criticism.
Our children's potential is pilfered with the toleration of sub-par
teachers and a lack of alternatives to failing schools. The spouses
of the dearly departed are robbed of saved earnings and benefits
by pushing for death taxes on inheritance. Our retirement security
is mismanaged by keeping the archaic Social Security system in
its present state.

Harry Houdini would be proud of the new guard's sleight of
hand. It promotes issues that keeps it in power while belittling
ideas that help the community. For example, it fights President
Bush's faith-based initiative that would increase spiritual direction
in our neighborhoods. It aligns itself with teachers unions and
against common folk by fighting school choice plans to give lower
income parents alternatives to gang- and drug-infested schools.
Just ask a hardworking mother on State Street in Chicago if she
would like alternatives to local schools. It also supports Planned
Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger's view on abortion, and opposes
abstinence programs while our young girls are living lives of
sexual promiscuity and producing children without being able to
take care of them.

Our struggle for opportunity was too long and the reward too
valuable to throw away. The lynchings, threats and intimidation
tactics were too painful a price to pay to just give our votes
away, if we vote at all.

Right now, the timing is perfect for change. Politically, the
country is divided almost evenly between Republicans and Democrats.
Blacks, however, voted Democratic by a nine-to-one margin in 2000.
Obviously, conservatives haven't done a good of job articulating
their message to us. The Republican Party, in particular, hasn't
properly pursued black votes. That's tragic because conservative
issues and ideas are not only good for Republicans but for all
America - blacks included.

In my home state of Georgia, I am working with other black
conservatives and state political leaders to articulate and spread
our message within the black community. In a state where less
than a ten percent change in the way blacks voted would have generated
a different governor and U.S. senator, the importance of pursuing
votes in neglected demographics is obvious. We are getting the
financial resources and support we need to succeed. Black Americans
are best served by conservative policies that promote opportunity
and prosperity. Black participation also ensures a seat at the
governing table - a seat that will never be occupied by the likes
of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.

The new guard and the leftist groups propping them up will
continue to look for more ways to scare us into keeping them in
power. The young mother on State Street in Chicago, however, is
counting on us. It's time to bring back the leadership style of
days gone by.

###

(Ak'bar Shabazz, an Atlanta native, is a member of the National
Advisory Council of the African-American leadership network Project
21. Comments may be sent to [email protected].)

Note: New Visions Commentaries reflect the views
of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21.